What Really Matters
by Marbear 66
Summary: What if Susan's accident with Bill in "There Won't Be Trumpets" involved another car? Mike's car. Would Susan finally realize that nothing matters more than being with the man she loves?


Amidst her arguing with Bill, Susan didn't see the car coming in the opposite direction, nor was she able to control her own car when the tire blew, causing her to swerve, slamming into the other car. The next thing Susan knew, the car was in a ditch, and Bill was moaning.

"You didn't take it into the shop, did you?" he asked, sighing.

"No," Susan replied softly. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, you?"

"I'm ok, I think," Susan began, then gasped. "Oh my God! We hit another car! We need to see if they're alright." Susan climbed carefully out of her car and made her way over to an SUV that was lying on its side. Susan slowed her pace when she recognized the car. "Oh my God," she said again. "It can't be…" she trailed off. But it was. The man lying unconscious in the SUV was none other than Mike Delfino. "Mike!"

"Mike?" Bill asked, incredulous. "Are you kidding?"

"I'm not," Susan said, panicking. "We hit Mike, and he's unconscious. Please, Mike, please wake up!" Susan pleaded, tears running down her cheeks. "Bill, do you have your cell phone on you?"

"Yeah, yeah, here. Call for help, quick," Bill said, handing her the phone. He watched as Susan frantically gave details to a 911 operator. Once she hung up, she began to sob, and pounded on Mike's car, trying to get him to wake up. It was obvious to Bill that Susan was still very much in love with Mike.

"They said they'll be here as soon as possible," Susan sniffed. "They told me not to touch him, just try to wake him up. I don't know what I'll do if he-"

"Don't say that, Susan. He'll be fine," Bill soothed, putting an arm around her, but she shrugged it off. She continued to shout to Mike, becoming more hysterical by the second. A few agonizing moments later, she saw the flashing lights of the ambulance. The paramedics immediately climbed out, and after assessing the situation, carefully pulled Mike out of the SUV. He didn't move. Susan watched as they crowded around them, catching snippets of their worried conversation.

"He's had a hard impact to the chest," one medic said. "He's not breathing."

"Administering CPR," another medic said, hovering over Mike. Susan sobbed as she watched them work to save Mike, who was not responding.

"Damn it, Mike, don't you do this! You can't die on me, we're not done yet!" she screamed. "You can't die thinking I hate you," she said more softly. "I love you," she finally whispered.

"We have a pulse!" the first medic said. "It's weak, we need to move." The paramedics placed Mike on a stretcher, then lifted him into the ambulance. Afraid to leave Mike's side, Susan followed.

"I'm coming with you," she said forcefully, challenging them to refuse her. Silently they nodded their consent.

"You need to be checked out anyway," one said. "You as well," he added, looking at Bill. Wordlessly, Susan and Bill climbed into the ambulance, Susan never taking her eyes off Mike. Momentarily feeling guilty, she looked to Bill.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I never meant to use you, I just needed a distraction."

"Don't worry about it," Bill sighed. "I'm fine. He needs you now," he continued, nodding at Mike. Susan stifled a sob and gently took Mike's hand and held it to her heart.

"I'm right here," she whispered softly as tears continued to flow down her cheeks.

Once the ambulance reached the hospital, Susan refused care, instead demanding to stay with Mike. Bill tried to persuade her to get checked, but she was adamant, so he gave up and went for his own examination. Susan, however, was not permitted to accompany Mike to the operating room, so she stubbornly chose to sit in the waiting room. At one point, she did call Julie to let her know what had happened, and also called Bree to look after Julie, since she would not be home until she knew Mike was alright. Much later, Susan finally saw a doctor motioning to her, and she quickly hurried over to him.

"Are you a relative of Mike Delfino?" he asked, eying his clipboard.

"No, I'm his…fiancée," she lied, knowing it would be the only way to learn about his condition.

"Well, I'm Dr. Burk, and Mr. Delfino suffered a severe impact to the chest, probably from the airbag, which broke several ribs, one of them puncturing his lung. That is what caused him to stop breathing. He also has a head injury. He's stable, and though he's not awake yet, you can go and sit with him if you like," Dr. Burk said.

"Thank you so much, doctor," Susan said. "What room is he in?"

"217, right down the hall," the doctor replied, pointing behind him. "I'll be in to check on him shortly." Susan thanked him again and walked in the direction he'd shown her. When she reached 217, she took a deep breath and walked in. Seeing Mike lying there made her start to cry again. She slowly walked towards him, then pulled a chair beside his bed and sat. Not knowing what to do, she simply took his hand and kissed it, then sighed.

"I don't know what I'm doing here," she confessed, though she knew he couldn't hear her. "I swore I'd be mad at you forever. But somehow, when I saw you in your truck, all I wanted was for you to wake up and hold me. God help me, but I do love you. Right now, I don't care what it is you did, all I want is for you to be ok," she trailed off, the tears now streaming freely down her cheeks. She gently lay her head down on the bed next to his hand, and drifted off to sleep.

"Mom? Mom? Mom!" Julie hissed, trying to wake her mother.

"Mmm, what is it, Julie?" Susan asked, forgetting where she was.

"Wake up, Mom. I'm here. Are you ok?" Julie asked, hugging a groggy Susan. It all came back to Susan as she saw Mike asleep on the bed.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"Well, Mrs. Van De Kamp said you were staying with Mike, so I brought you this," Julie replied, holding out an envelope. Susan immediately recognized it as the letter Mike had written to her, the letter she still had not opened. "I think you should read it," Julie continued forcefully. "You still love Mike, you wouldn't be here if you didn't. Read his letter, Mom. You'll regret it if you don't."

"I don't know if I can," Susan said softly, taking the letter.

"Do it for Mike. I have to get home, Mrs. Van De Kamp is waiting for me. I know you need to stay, so I'll see you when you get home. I love you, Mom." Julie said, hugging Susan again.

"I know, baby, I love you, too," Susan replied.

"Read the letter, Mom," her daughter said again before exiting Mike's room. Susan sighed, looked at the envelope, then looked at Mike. Taking a deep breath, she gently pulled open the envelope and took out the letter. Knowing there was no turning back, Susan read the letter carefully. What Mike had written stunned her. He really did write everything. He wrote about why he came to Wisteria Lane, his investigations about Deirdre's death, he even wrote about his marriage. The end of his letter made Susan cry yet again. _'Despite everything, I need you to know that my love for you is true. I may have lied about a lot of things I shouldn't have, but I will never lie to you about how I feel. You are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time, and I can't lose you. I'll do whatever it takes to earn your trust and love back. Love always, Mike.'_ Susan collapsed against Mike's side, sobbing. All she could do was pray he would wake up.

When Mike woke up, the first thing he noticed was the weight on his arm. Confused, he looked down. His heart leapt when he saw Susan sleeping on his arm, then plummeted back down again when he saw her tear streaked face. He knew he had hurt her once again, and that knowledge broke his heart. He gently lifted his hand from under her and stroked her face.

"Susan," he whispered, hoarse. His chest hurt when he spoke, and it was slightly difficult to breathe. His whisper was enough to wake Susan, who stirred immediately at his voice and caress. She slowly sat up, eyes wide and tear-rimmed.

"Mike?" Susan asked, disbelieving. When his small smile confirmed to her that he was awake, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. Mike gratefully wrapped his arms around her, breathing her in for the first time in days. Glancing over her shoulder, he saw the letter he had written to her lying on the bedside table. "I don't know what I would've done," Susan mumbled into his neck, and he could feel wetness from her tears.

"It's ok, Susan. I'm alright," Mike soothed, stroking her hair.

"No! You almost died, and it's my fault! If only I'd changed that tire, none of this would've happened, you'd be fine, I'd still be mad at you-" Susan was cut off by Mike's lips as he pulled her in for a hungry kiss. Susan immediately responded, and kissed him back with equal fervor. They kissed repeatedly for several moments before Susan abruptly pulled away. "No. Mike, I-I can't do this right now. I can't just act like nothing happened," she said sadly, turning away. Mike felt his heart break a little more.

"I understand, I just thought that…" he trailed off, looking away also.

"I just need time right now, can you give me that?"

"I can. Anything you need," Mike replied sincerely. Susan smiled softly and stroked his face.

"I need to get home, Bree is watching Julie, and I don't want her to turn her into some obsessive-compulsive teenager, " Susan joked, and Mike chuckled. "But I'll come back and see how you're doing tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok, I'll see you soon," Mike sighed. To his surprise Susan bent over and pressed her lips to his forehead quickly.

"Get better," was all she said before she slipped out the door. Mike painfully swallowed as he prayed Susan would find a way to forgive him.

Over the next few days, Susan visited Mike everyday in the hospital. Mike tried to get close to her more than once, but each time she pulled away, saying she needed more time. Today was the day Mike was coming home, and Susan was frantic, knowing he would expect her to have made up her mind. In her heart she knew she loved him, and even forgave him, but her brain kept reminding her of the heartbreak he had already caused.

Susan looked up as she saw Mike pull into his driveway in his new car, then climbed out and walked into his house. Susan felt a pang when he never once glanced in the direction of her house, and she knew her heart had won over her brain. She had enough time to process things, and now she wanted to see Mike. Not even bothering to properly close her door, Susan ran down her sidewalk and across the street, all the way up to Mike's front door, which she started banging on. Within moments Mike had opened the screen door, and Susan launched herself into his arms, kissing him passionately. He eagerly responded, holding her tight and pulling her into the house and onto his couch. Once he was out of breath, Mike pulled away and looked at Susan in confusion.

"Does this mean…?" he trailed off, looking at her hopefully.

"I've had enough time," Susan said. "I've had enough time to realize that nothing is worth being without you. No matter what your past, I love you." Mike grinned and pulled her to him again, kissing her with more passion than before.

"I love you," he whispered between kisses, then gently pulled her off the couch and led her upstairs, where despite doctor's orders, he engaged in physical activity and made love to her over and over again.

THE END


End file.
